go to top scroll for more

Flexibility from Cooling and Storage (Flex-Cool-Store)

Reference Number
EP/V042505/1
Title
Flexibility from Cooling and Storage (Flex-Cool-Store)
Status
Completed
Energy Categories
Energy Efficiency(Other)
Other Power and Storage Technologies
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electric power conversion)
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution)
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Energy storage)
Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Environmental, social and economic impacts)
Research Types
Basic and strategic applied research
Science and Technology Fields
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Sociology)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Architecture and the Built Environment)
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation
Not Cross-cutting
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Policy and regulation)
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Consumer attitudes and behaviour)
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Technology acceptance)
Other (Energy technology information dissemination)
Principal Investigator
Dr C E Ugalde Loo
Engineering
Cardiff University
Award Type
Standard
Funding Source
EPSRC
Start Date
28 September 2021
End Date
27 September 2024
Duration
36 months
Total Grant Value
£1,113,919
Industrial Sectors
Energy
Region
Wales
Programme
Energy : Energy
Investigators
Principal Investigator
Dr C E Ugalde Loo, Engineering, Cardiff University
Other Investigator
Dr MP Abeysekera, Engineering, Cardiff University
Dr CC Demski, Psychology, Cardiff University
Professor N Jenkins, Engineering, Cardiff University
Dr RJ Lowes, Geography, University of Exeter
Dr M Qadrdan, Engineering, Cardiff University
Dr J Wu, Engineering, Cardiff University
Industrial Collaborator
Project Contact, Neath Port Talbot County Council
Project Contact, SRS Works
Project Contact, Active Building Centre
Project Contact, Climespace
Project Contact, Rotherham Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Project Contact, Star Refrigeration Ltd
Project Contact, Dept for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT)
Project Contact, Electric Corby
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract
We are currently facing an unprecedented climate emergency threatening life on our planet. Limiting global surface temperature rise is key to ensure irreversible effects for nature and people are not triggered. For the UK, decarbonisation of the energy sector to mitigate climate change is a crucial ambition, becoming the first major economy to pass legislation to end its contribution to global warming by 2050 by reducing its carbon emissions to net-zero. Even though a significant emission reduction has been already achieved in the electric power sector, progress has been limited in other areas, such as heating (including space cooling), which accounts for over a third of UK emissions. Heating and cooling are central to our lives not only for comfort and daily activities, but also to facilitate productive workplaces and to run a variety of industrial processes. Decarbonising heating and cooling and reducing emissions from buildings are thus paramount to meet net-zero targets.Cooling decarbonisation has not previously received significant attention, but this is changing due to population increase and climate change. Summertime cooling of buildings is becoming increasingly important and consumer demand for greater comfort levels will also increase the energy used for cooling services. An increased requirement for cooling is anticipated, with the share of UK electricity used for cooling also expected to rise further, which could strain the electricity system. At the same time, summer electricity demand is changing with a surge in solar PV generation, causing concern for balancing the power system. Since cooling facilities are in general limited to building level, significant investments in cooling infrastructure and buildings are needed.Flex-Cool-Store brings together academics with complementary expertise on techno-economic, societal and policy aspects of electrical power supply and thermal energy systems. The main objective of this interdisciplinary project is to investigate the potential impacts of a growth in UK cooling demand and how this growth can be managed through proactive design and flexible operation of the cooling supply system and energy storage, and how the new demand can be served by an increasingly decarbonised electricity system. Underpinning this, public perception towards the adoption of cooling technologies within buildings and communities and consumer participation in flexibility provision from energy storage at household level will be explored via interviews and public workshops. Outcomes will be considered alongside pathways and policies associated with heat decarbonisation, and novel analysis using 'elite' interviews with policy makers will be conducted to consider the potential relationship between heat decarbonisation strategies, cooling and storage. This interdisciplinary approach will enable Flex-Cool-Store to address the issue of increasing demand for cooling and decarbonisation from multiple angles and to develop an even stronger evidence for best practice around buildings decarbonisation.Specific objectives of the project are:1. Understanding cooling demand considering technical and socio-economic factors. Detailed studies will be conducted to understand how cooling demand might change over the next decades.2. Quantifying the impacts of increased cooling demand on electricity networks. The extent to which supplying cooling will affect peak electricity demand will be quantified and its implications on network reinforcement will be investigated for selected case studies using data from real practical projects. 3. Investigating the flexibility provision to the electrical power system from integrating cooling technologies and storage. The interactions and synergies between cooling and electricity systems will be studied. How to adopt a coordinated approach for designing and operating energy systems of buildings so that the provision of flexibility can be maximised will be explored
Data

No related datasets

Projects

No related projects

Publications

No related publications

Added to Database
26/11/21